Garam Masala

Wonderfully warming spices that you can use whole or more commonly ground. I only use the ground version at the end of a dish, giving added complexity and warmth. Typically, black pepper, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cinnamon bark, cloves, mace, fennel seeds, green cardamom and bay leaves are used, although in Bengal the standard garam masala uses only three spices: green cardamom, cinnamon bark and cloves. Each Indian household has their own version so play around with these spices and create your own. Store-bought garam masala powder is good too and I tend to opt for this on most occasions.